DS (he is 6) has the iPad mini which he got for Christmas- it was my Dh's but he upgraded to a newer one for work. DD1 (4) has a new Kindle Fire and DD2 (2) has DD1's old Kindle Fire (they also got theirs for Christmas).

My two oldest play Minecraft on theirs and the youngest plays lot of toddler educational games plus watches some educational shows.

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SAHM to three wonderful monsters: Tyler 6, Alli 4 and Jilly Billy 2. And all I have to say is thank God for wine!

Our three are 8, 5, and 3 (next week!), and don't have their own devices. They don't actually have any screen time. It works for our family at this point. We will introduce technology depending on the kid and the circumstance, but the rough plan is to introduce screen time between 10-12. We are a waldorf family, so that philosophy helps inform our choices. I'm not concerned with them being able to become technologically proficient, as they are all bright kids. Also, frankly, I, my brother, and brother-in-law have all worked in/currently work in IT and none of us had much access to technology as kids. My wife and I have devices, but we mostly leave them off when the kids are awake (except for recipe checking, etc.) It works for us, for now. Different strokes for different folks and all...

We used to be a Waldorf family with no TV, no tablets, etc. So I was really nervous about introducing these things. Now our kids have a Samsung Galaxy for kids, a Leappad, and a Nook Color. We have 3 kids. I'm thinking of replacing the Nook Color with an Ipad Mini soon.

I like the Galaxy best (which is the closest to an Ipad style), because it's really versatile with it's learning apps. My oldest also has an app from school where his teacher assigns ebooks for him to read and get quizzed on. My son generally hates reading when the school assigns it, but he LOVES that app.

I prefer hands on life experiences to teach things (e.g. fractions through baking) but for things that they need a bit more work on, I think tablets provide a good amount of excitement that keeps them engaged. I was nervous about them and thought I'd limit them heavily, but I've been really happy with them and now give almost unfettered access to them. (Although, I do limit the apps available to them and rotate them so they can't just do games and hulu the whole time.) They still play creatively the rest of the time. All of their other toys are either board games or open-ended (play silks, clips, blocks, etc.) We also have a no-toy rule for cars and trains, plus quiet time every day, so they get plenty of time to just think without distractions. I find that the electronics have actually proven beneficial and we are more balanced in all things. The no-technology thing was too extreme for our family.

We (the parents) have an iPad. The kids have some apps on there, but it isn't often that they get to use it. And when they do use it they are supervised. I will say it did come in handy during my daughter's week long hospital stay in October and always helps when we travel.

The kids do have a LeapPad2 that they share. They've got a few games for it, but they mostly like to listen to music on it.

The thing with technology is that you don't need to use it from when you're little to be proficient with it as an adult. Both DH and I work in the software development field (well, I'm SAH right now) and he has always had lots of computer time since he was little while I didn't even have access to a computer outside of school until I was 17. So if your child has a talent in this area you are not going to ruin it by restricting access to electronics when they're young or anything like that.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jcgreenmama

I know some folks pass down old generations when they upgrade but I think you have to be very careful when you let a kid have access to something which could then access the Internet.

Yes! When DH stopped using his iPad he cleaned off all his accounts and contacts, etc. from it. Also disabled the connection to the Internet so DD wouldn't be accidentally getting on or purchasing things.

DS1, 3, received an ipad1 and a leappad2 for Xmas from my BIL , and a kindle type tablet from my mom.

The iPad we use for the family but DS has free access to any of them and plays maybe a total of an hr a day most days. I found that limiting the time made him want to play more, oddly.

He prefers the iPad, as do I, because the games for the leappad2 are so ridiculously expensive. The iPad games are free or very cheap. I also dont care for how the leap pad functions and it seems so archaic compared to technology today, even on the ipad1.

DS1, 3, received an ipad1 and a leappad2 for Xmas from my BIL , and a kindle type tablet from my mom.

The iPad we use for the family but DS has free access to any of them and plays maybe a total of an hr a day most days. I found that limiting the time made him want to play more, oddly.

He prefers the iPad, as do I, because the games for the leappad2 are so ridiculously expensive. The iPad games are free or very cheap. I also dont care for how the leap pad functions and it seems so archaic compared to technology today, even on the ipad1.

I was really disappointed in this. I wanted to get books for them. Nook books for kids are usually no more than $10. The leappad ones are like $25! I can't afford that. It really evens out the price of the tablet in the long run.

No. We are screen free during the week at home and it is limited by extra curricular activities on the weekend.
They don't have their own iPads but do each have a 3DS. There are many positives to electronics; my children have used out iPad to practice their Japanese, including calligraphy. Handheld games such as DS can help hand eye coordination in a child who is struggling.
My son used out iPad to teach himself multiplication and division; he is in the 1st grade and easily doesn't his sisters 3 grade math.

My children are effected very negatively it given too much screen time. I don't know if that is their personality or because they are so limited but I don't like the way their attitude changes when they play for longer than 30-60mins at a time so I don't allow it

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lovin' preschool teacher, part time student Momma to... The Japanese Princess and her bigger little brother

My 6 year old has a LeapPad2. They will be 7 and 9 this coming Christmas and I plan on getting them Kindles

Kindles are awesome- there are so many educational game and books you can get. Plus, many apps are free and the ones that aren't are only a few dollars. Even though my son has my DH's old iPad I actually prefer Kindles for kids.

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SAHM to three wonderful monsters: Tyler 6, Alli 4 and Jilly Billy 2. And all I have to say is thank God for wine!